French far-right leader Le Pen said bond market pressure is excessive, making it less reasonable to set strict fiscal red lines for the 2027 budget.

French far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen urged the European Central Bank to lower financing costs to free fiscal space for euro-area sovereign capabilities, defence and technology investment. At a Tuesday news conference she said governments should discuss with the ECB to prompt action to ease the burden of higher interest rates. She added that ECB measures could, if taken, free hundreds of billions of euros for Europe and help fund national energy transitions.

BANK OF ENGLAND'S monetary policy committee member MANN said the UK labour market is somewhat stalled rather than slack.